Some of the best and worst 529 plans

Last reviewed: April 2009

There are 88 different 529 plans. We screened them based on investment flexibility, low expenses and fees, and 2008 performance.
We also looked for plans that were appropriately aggressive in the early years and conservative in the three years before
college.

Plan

State

Program manager

Web address

Expense ratio (range)

BEST These 529 plans, which you can buy yourself, offer relatively inexpensive investments with appropriate allocations based
on a child's age. They also offer multiple age-based tracks so, if you decide to invest more conservatively (or aggressively),
you won't need to change to another 529.